Suction-cleaning implement

ABSTRACT

A pneumatic suction-cleaning implement for use with a vacuum cleaner on rugs, and the like, comprising a suction nozzle structure having wall means movable over a surface to be cleaned. Means is provided defining first and second nozzle openings on spaced-apart levels in said wall means, and valve means is provided for selectively directing suction flow between said first and second openings in order to clean at a lower level deep-down at the base of the nap of a high-pile rug or at an upper level on the top of the rug.

atent I 1 lJnite-r States Holubinka [54] SUCTION-CLEANING EMPLEMENT [76]lnventor: Siegmund B. Holubinka, 1022 North Main St., Naperville, Ill.60540 [22] Filed: Jan. 22, 197 1 [21] Appl. No.: 108,895

[52] U.S.Cl. ..15/397, 15/416, 15/420 [51] int. Cl. ..A47l9/02 [58]Field oiSearch ..15/397,415-419 [56] References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,219,802 i0/1940 Bjbrkman ..15/41s 963,049 7/1910 Kenney..15/397x 1111 3,708,824 1 1 Jan.9 ,1973

Primary ExaminerEdward L. Roberts Assistant Examiner- C. K. MooreAttorney-Evan D. Roberts [57] ABSTRACT A pneumatic suction-cleaningimplement for use with a vacuum cleaner on rugs, and the like,comprising a suction nozzle structure having wall means movable over asurface to be cleaned. Means is provided defining first and secondnozzle openings on spaced-apart levels in said wall means, and valvemeans is provided for selectively directing suction flow between saidfirst and second openings in order to clean at a lower level deep-downat the base of the nap of a high-pile rug or at an upper level on thetop of the rug.

7 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures M/ LM ll/ l1; ill.

SUCTION-CLEANING IMPLEMENT The present invention is directed towards anew and improved suction cleaning implement and, more particularly, to asuction nozzle for use with vacuum cleaners and especially adapted forcleaning high-pile rugs, and the like, having a long nap, as well asordinary rugs and carpets.

Presently available suction-cleaning attachments for vacuum cleaners donot provide for good cleaning suction at a lower level along the base ofthe nap or pile of a rug. Moreover, when cleaning shag or high-pilerugs, penetration of the pile to get down to the lower levels is notafforded except in specific implements especially designed forthis'purpos'e with long nozzle fingers, like the teeth ofa comb, adaptedto project down into the rug. These special implements are not suitable,for

cleaning the upper surface of ordinary short nap,closeweave rugs or.carpets.

Accordingly, it is a desirable feature and'an object of the presentinvention to provide a suction-cleaning implement which is capable ofefiectively providing good cleaning action at two different selectedlevels. At a lower level, the implement of the invention picks up dirtat the base of the pile, and the dirt may also be picked up on top ofthe rug surface at the upper ends of the pile.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedvacuum cleaner suction nozzle of the character described including meansfor switching between high and low levelsuction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedsuction-cleaning nozzle of the character described which is neat inappearance, easy to use, and easy to change between high or low levelsuction pickup.

Briefly, the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the presentinvention are accomplished in a new and improved vacuum'cleaner suctionimplement forcleaning all types of rugs and carpets including shag andhigh-pilerugs, and the like, which implement com-v For a betterunderstanding of the present invention, reference should be had to thefollowing detailed.-

description, taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a new and improved vacuum. cleanersuction nozzle implement in accordance with the features of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the suction implement looking upwardly}FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the suction implement;

FIG. 4 is a transverse, cross-sectional view of the suction implementtaken substantially along line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view of the suc- FIG. 7 is ahorizontal, cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 7-7 ofFIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a'perspective view of the selector valve means of the suctionimplement of the present invention.

Referring now, more particularly, to the drawings, therein isillustrated a new and improved, vacuum cleaner, suction nozzle implementgenerally referred to by the reference numeral 10 and constructed inaccordance with the features of the present invention. The suctionimplement 10 is especially well suited for use in cleaning shag orhigh-pile, long-nap rugs, and the like, as well as ordinary rugs andcarpets. The implement provides for suction cleaning at two differentlevels so that a rug may be cleaned at the base of the pile and at anupper level on the top or upper surface of the nap. The suction nozzleimplement 10 is adapted to be connected to a source of suction through aflexible hose 12 (FIG. 1, dotted line) and includes a swivel mountedconnecting elbow 14 having an open upper end for receiving the end ofthe hose. The elbow includes a lower, horizontal leg which projectsinwardly and is connected for axial rotation ona rearwardly and upwardlyprojecting central inlet chamber 16. In order to limit the relativepivotal movement of the elbow 14 with respect to the inlet chamber 16, astop lug 14a is formed on the underside of the lower elbow. leg forlimiting engagement with stop lugs 16a on either side of the elbow whenaxially rotated inthe direction of the arrows (as shown in FIG. 3). Therightand'left-hand stop lugs 16a are integrally formed on the rear wallof the inlet chamber radially outward of the circular inlet opening inwhich the lower elbow leg is seated.

As best shownin FIGS. 1 and 2, the inlet chamber 16 is positionedadjacent the center of an elongated suction nozzle housing indicatedgenerallyby the reference numeral 20. The housing 20 is formed in twopieces comprising an upper or top section 22 and a lower or bottomsection 24, as shown in FIG. 4. The

, upper housing section 22 is preferably formed of flexition implementtaken alongline 5-5 of FIG. 1 and the selector valve means in oneoperative posiselector valve means in an alternate operating position;

ble plastic materiaLsuch as polyvinylchloride, in an inv jection moldingprocess and includes a top wall 26, front and rear longitudinalsidewalls 28 and 30, and a pair of short opposite end walls 32. Theinterior of the upper housing section is formed with a pair ofspacedapart parallel, longitudinally extending stiffening ribs 34 whichdefine the sides of a central suction channel 36 extending in oppositedirections laterally with respect to the inlet chamber 16. In additionto the longitudinal stiffening ribs 34, a plurality of short,transverse, stiffening ribs 38 are providedbetween the ribs 34 and theouter sidewalls, as best shown in FIG. 7

In accordance with the present invention, the lower housing member 24 ispreferably formed of relatively heavy, strong and rigid material, suchas cast metal, hard plastic, and the like, and the upper surface of thelower section 24 forms the bottom wall of the suction housing 20 whenassembled'with the upper half section 22. The lower section is formedwithan outwardly projecting lip 24a extending around the periphery forengagement within a continuous peripheral groove 25 (FIG. 4) defined inthe sidewalls 28 and 30 and the end walls 32 of the upper housingsection. A holding lip 40 is formed onthe lower edges of the side andend walls of the upper housing section 22 in order. to seal beneath 3the peripheral projection 24a on the lower housing section 24 andprovide an. airtight enclosure.

In accordance with the present invention, the lower housing section 24is formed with a plurality of spacedapart, upper suction apertures 42arranged in a single row in alignment along the center of the housinglongitudinally in communication with the flow channel 36. The flowchannel 36 is substantially smaller in transverse cross section than thewhole housing in order to maintain a sufficiently high suction velocityto provide excellent cleaning action. lntermediately spaced betweenadjacent upper level suction apertures 42, a plurality of downwardlyprojecting hollow teeth 44 are provided, each having a lower levelsuction opening 44a at the lower end thereof.

The lower level section openings at the lower end of the downwardlyprojecting hollow teeth 44 are adapted the base of the nap or fibers ofa rug while the upper level suction apertures 42 are provided to pick updirt and material on the upper surface of a rug. The hollow teeth orfingers 44 act like the teeth of a comb to spread and separate the rugpile at the base for pickup of dirt at a lower level. It will thus beseen that the suction nozzle implement l is well adapted for suctioncleaning at different levels in a rug'including a'lower level at thebaseof the rug pile and on the upper surface.

In accordance with the present invention, a sliding selector valve 50(FIG. 8) is provided for switching between the upper and lower levelsuction inlets. The selector valve includes a plurality of circularsuction openings 50a at spaced intervals equal to the spacing betweenthe teeth 44 and upper level openings 42 in the housing wall. The valveselector is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on the lowerhousing member 24 between two positionsln one position the upper suctioninlet apertures 42 are blocked or closed off and in the other positionthe upper ends of the hollow teeth 44 are closed or blocked off. Thespacing between the apertures 50a providedin the sliding selector valve50 is equal to spacing between each adjacent pair of teeth 44, and thisspacing is equal to the spacing interval between each pair of adjacentupper level suction openings 42. Because of this, either the upper orlower level suction openings can be completely closed off, dependingupon the position of the selector valve 50, or an intermediate positionmay be set up wherein suction openings on both levels are partiallyopen.

As best shown in FIG. 5, when the elongated selector valve 50 is in aposition on the right, the openings 50a therein are aligned with theupper ends of the hollow teeth 44 and suction is drawn through the teethand the low level openings 440 at their lower ends. Movement of theselector valve 50 to a position on the left, as shown in FIG. 6, alignsthe valve apertures 50a with the upper level openings 42, so that thesuction is drawn from an upper level. Intermediate positions of theselector valve 50 permit suction to be drawn from both the lower andupper levels.

The selector valve 50 slides along the bottom surface of an elongatedlongitudinal groove 24b formed in the lower housing section 24 directlybelow the suction channel 36 in the upper housing section 22. The valve50 is freely slidable between opposite ends of the groove, and thelength of the groove is dimensioned so that opposite ends provide stopsfor aligning the valve between its alternate high and lowerlevel'suction positions, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The groove 24b isdimensioned slightly larger in width than the sliding selector valve 50to provide free sliding movement and the valve is maintained in contactagainst the bottom surface of the groove by means of lugs 240 on the topside, which are formed by gouging out portions of the housing materialalong theedges of the groove after the valve has been positioned inplace.

The valve is moved longitudinally within, the groove between alternatepositions by means of a beveled gear 52 mounted on the inner end of acontrol shaft 54 which extends through a passage formed in the lowerhousing section 24 transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof. Acontrol knob 56 is provided at the outer end of the shaft which isreadily accessible from the rear of the nozzle housing. The beveled gear52 is adapted to engage rack teeth 50b, formed in'the upper surface ofthe selector valve strip 50 (best shown in FIG. 8) and rotation of theknob 56 in one direction moves-the valve member towards one end of thegroove 24b while rotation of the knob in the opposite direction movesthe valve in anoppdsite direction. The housing is appropriately labeledadjacentthe control knob 56 to indicate in which direction the knobshould be'turned to i provide for high or low suction pickup.

It will thus be seen that the vacuum cleaner suction nozzle implement ofthe present invention provides means whereby a housewife can adjust thenozzle to provide suction both at an upper level and a lower level deepdown within the pile of a rug. The teeth 44 provide combing action andthe lower suction openings 44a provide for pickup of the materialdislodged by movement of the teeth through a rug. It should be notedthat the lower suction openings 44a extend upwardly onto the oppositesidewalls of the teeth, as shown best in'FlG. l. Moon-shaped apertures45 are formed in the teeth sidewalls to permit suction flow into thehollow teeth even though the bottom of the teeth is blocked offcompletely bycontact with a rug or other surface. Because the openings44a at the lower end of the teeth-44 are extended by the moon-shapedrecesses 45 on the sides of the teeth, plugging up of the lower levelopenings in the implement is almost impossible. The implement 10 is easyto use, neat in appearance, and universal in applications for regularclose-pile rugs, as well as loose-or long-pile shag rugs, and the like.I

While there has been illustrated and described a single embodiment ofthe present invention, it will be appreciated that numerous changes andmodifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and it is intendedin the appended claims to cover all those changes and modificationswhich fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent ofthe United States is:

1. A pneumatic suction air flow cleaning implement for rugs and the likecomprising a suction nozzle structure having wall means movable over asurface to be cleaned, means defining a first and a second series ofsuction inlet openings in said wall means at respective andsubstantially spaced-apart levels, and valve means for selectivelyproportioning the suction flow between said first and said second seriesof suction inlet openings.

2. The suction cleaning implement of claim 1 wherein said first andsecond suction inlet openings are arranged at spaced-apart intervals ina line and said second inlet openings are provided at the lower end ofspaced-apart and downwardly projecting hollow teeth.

3. The suction cleaning implement of claim 2 wherein said teeth haveopen upper ends on a level adjacent said first openings, and said valvemeans includes a member slidable along said line, said member having aplurality of valve apertures defined therein at spaced-apart intervalsadapted to line up alternately with said first and second openings.

4. The suction cleaning implement of claim 3 including control means formoving said valve member between a first position blocking said firstopenings and a second position blocking off flow through said secondopenings in said hollow teeth. 1 I

5. The suction cleaning implement of claim 4 wherein said nozzlestructure includes longitudinal said groove means for movement betweenopposite ends thereof between said first and second positions.

6. A pneumatic suction cleaning implement for rugs and the likecomprising a suction chamber having a bottom wall for movement over asurface to be cleaned, means defining a plurality of spaced-apartsuction holes in said bottom, a plurality of spaced-apart, hollowfingers projecting downwardly of said bottom walls, said fingers havingthe hollow portions opening at the lower end for'suction cleaning and incommunication at the upper end with the interior of said suctionchamber, and manual valve means movable between alternate positionsblocking said suction holes and the upper end of said fingers,respectively.

7. The suction cleaning implement of claim wherein each of said fingerscomprises a hollow tubular wall having a lower end defining a suctionopening, and an opening means formed in said tubular wall above thelevel of said lower end and on at least one side thereof.

1. A pneumatic suction air flow cleaning implement for rugs and the likecomprising a suction nozzle structure having wall means movable over asurface to be cleaned, means defining a first and a second series ofsuction inlet openings in said wall means at respective andsubstantially spaced-apart levels, and valve means for selectivelyproportioning the suction flow between said first and said second seriesof suction inlet openings.
 2. The suction cleaning implement of claim 1wherein said first and second suction inlet openings are arranged atspaced-apart intervals in a line and said second inlet openings areprovided at the lower end of spaced-apart and downwardly projectinghollow teeth.
 3. The suction cleaning implement of claim 2 wherein saidteeth have open upper ends on a level adjacent said first openings, andsaid valve means includes a member slidable along said line, said memberhaving a plurality of valve apertures defined therein at spaced-apartintervals adapted to line up alternately with said first and secondopenings.
 4. The suction cleaning implement of claim 3 including controlmeans for moving said valve member between a first position blockingsaid first openings and a second position blocking off flow through saidsecond openings in said hollow teeth.
 5. The suction cleaning implementof claim 4 wherein said nozzle structure includes longitudinal groovemeans in communication with said first and second openings, said valvemeans being mounted in said groove means for movement between oppositeends thereof between said first and second positions.
 6. A pneumaticsuction cleaning implement for rugs and the like comprising a suctionchamber having a bottom wall for movement over a surface to be cleaned,means defining a plurality of spaced-apart suction holes in said bottom,a plurality of spaced-apart, hollow fingers projecting downwardly ofsaid bottom walls, saiD fingers having the hollow portions opening atthe lower end for suction cleaning and in communication at the upper endwith the interior of said suction chamber, and manual valve meansmovable between alternate positions blocking said suction holes and theupper end of said fingers, respectively.
 7. The suction cleaningimplement of claim 6 wherein each of said fingers comprises a hollowtubular wall having a lower end defining a suction opening, and anopening means formed in said tubular wall above the level of said lowerend and on at least one side thereof.